It’s safe to say that Dell’s marketing team won’t be getting any special “thank you” cards from Microsoft this year. The Verge has spotted a new ad for Dell’s new Dell XPS 15 laptop that seemingly dual boots Windows 8 and OS X. Of course, the computer only runs Windows 8 and it looks like the advertising agency took a little too much creative license with the way it decided to show off its best features. The most comical part comes when the woman in the video swipes Windows 8’s Metro interface from the right-hand side of the screen and it immediately switches to OS X. The full video is posted below. More →

So now that Apple has done a thorough overhaul of iOS in the form of the flatter, brighter iOS 7, can we expect a similar sea change for its OS X desktop operating system? 9to5Mac’s Mark Gurman says that’s not likely to happen this year, although he is hearing that Apple’s upcoming OS X 10.10 operating system will give the platform a slightly flatter look and will take some features that Apple introduced with iOS 7 including “improved notifications” and “perhaps AirDrop compatibility with iOS and Siri.” Gurman also expects that there “will be a little bit more white space, more defined menu bars, and squared-off window controls,” but he doesn’t expect Apple to completely redo colors and app icon designs from top to bottom as it did with iOS 7. In other words, Mac users who dread the day when iOS 7’s flat, brightly-colored icons show up on their desktops can rest easy… for now.

In an interview with Macworld, Apple’s Phil Schiller, Bud Tribble and Craig Federighi said that the company has no intention to merge iOS and OS X, as some people see it as the natural thing to do with these operating systems in the future. More →

There is no question that Apple’s fifth-generation iPad and second-generation iPad mini are the stars of the show on Tuesday, but the company has plenty more in store as well. Among the announcements from Apple’s press conference in San Francisco on Tuesday is an official launch date for the next major release of Apple’s desktop operating system, OS X Mavericks. Apple unveiled version 10.9 of OS X this past June at its annual WWDC developer conference and said the software would become available to the public sometime in the fall. As promised, OS X Mavericks will launch today and the upgrade will be free for any and all Mac users, regardless of their PC model. OS X Mavericks includes a number of new features, such as several redesigned apps, iCloud keychain support, big improvements to the Safari Web browser, Notifications Center enhancements, the addition of Finder tabs and more.

Apple unveiled OS X 10.9 Mavericks earlier this at WWDC, but has had very little to say about an official release date since then. With the release of iOS 7 right around the corner, many had assumed Mavericks would launch at around the same time — but according to 9to5Mac, the latest OS X will release at the end of October. Any computer that can run Mountain Lion will also be able to run Mavericks when it makes its way out of beta this fall. Some of Mavericks’ new features include tabs for Finder, an improved Notification Center, faster applications and a redesigned calendar. The late release will give Apple time to focus mainly on iOS7 and the accompanying iPhone 5S and 5C for the next month.

Apple on Monday unveiled OS X 10.9 Mavericks during its Worldwide Developers Conference keynote. The company’s latest OS X operating system brings improved support for multiple displays and enhancements to the Finder, Notification Center and more. As noted by AppleInsider, OS X Mavericks will be compatible with all Macs that are capable of running OS X Mountain Lion. That includes iMac models from mid-2007 or later, 13-inch aluminum MacBook models from late 2008 or later, 13-inch MacBook Pro models from mid-2009 or later, 15-inch and 17-inch MacBook Pro models from late 2007 or later, MacBook Air models from late 2008 or later, and Mac mini, Mac Pro and Xserve models from early 2009 or later. The models must also have at least 2GB of memory, 8GB of available space and Mac OS X 10.6.7 Snow Leopard or higher in order to install 10.9. OS X Mavericks is scheduled to be released later this year.

As Apple fans gear up for the company’s big summer conference next week, it feels like there might not be any surprises in store for WWDC 2013. We already know plenty about iOS 7, the next version of OS X will be shown off, incremental updates to Apple’s MacBook Pro and MacBook Air lines are expected, iCloud and Siri updates are likely coming, and iRadio may finally make its debut. The only real wild card, perhaps, is whether or not Apple will finally open up its Apple TV platform to third-party developers as it prepares to expand its TV efforts sometime in the future (Apple’s “Where A Whole New World’s Developing” signage at Moscone could certainly point to a big new opportunity for developers). According to RBC Capital Markets analyst Amit Daryanani, investors’ expectations are “appropriately tempered” and the big product news from Apple isn’t expected until this coming fall. More →

Apple’s next-generation OS X 10.9 software is obviously launching this year, and a new report claims to reveal several details about the upcoming OS that will debut at WWDC 2013. 9to5Mac on Monday reported a number of features seemingly set to debut in OS X 10.9, which it says has been given the codename “Cabernet” internally at Apple. OS X 10.9 will not be a major overhaul according to the report, which may be fitting considering the lackluster MacBook refresh expected to be showcased at WWDC. Apple’s updated PC platform will include a number of interesting new features, however, and it will also reportedly pull in some “core features” from iOS. More →

Early adopters of Apple’s (AAPL) new iMac computers who chose the 3TB Fusion Drive model have been unable to use Boot Camp Assistant. The program, which allows OS X users to install a Windows partition on their computers, is limited to drives of up to 2.2TB. Apple has hinted that the software may be updated in the future to support larger drives, however no set time frame has been given. Despite the set back, it has been discovered that it is still possible to create a working Boot Camp partition on new iMacs. More →

When Apple (AAPL) needs talent, it knows exactly where to look first: the sea of hackers. Kristin Paget, a former Microsoft (MSFT) hacker now officially works for Apple, reports Wired. Paget, now a core operating system security researcher at Apple, was once responsible for discovering bugs in Windows Vista before Microsoft shipped it in 2007. Paget helped prevent “a lot of bugs from shipping on Vista” and we kid you not, was awarded with a T-shirt signed by Microsoft Vice President of Windows Development Brian Valentine that read: “I delayed Windows Vista.” Wired writes Paget’s Vista bugs literally saved the OS from being a complete disaster. More →

So much for the resistance from PC gamers. Steam’s latest hardware survey reveals Microsoft’s (MSFT) radically redesigned Windows 8 is now the fastest growing operating system among Steam users. The survey shows 4.69% of Steam users have jumped onboard Windows 8 making it the platform’s fourth-most used OS, behind Windows 7, XP and Vista. Although Steam usage on Windows 7 saw a 0.85% drop, it still reigns supreme with 72.56%. Meanwhile, Apple (AAPL) Mac users who game with Steam still lag behind at 3.26%, and that’s with OS X 10.6, 10.7, 10.8 combined. More →